IdentifierMaps_12bDate1584DescriptionThis important map illustrates the Spanish conception of the Gulf Coast around 1550. It is the first printed map of present-day southern United States and the first to reflect Hernando De Soto's exploration. It is also one of the few maps published in northern Europe in the sixteenth century to show the influence of Sevillian hydrography. Lowery (no. 70) notes that the map closely follows Oveido's description of the southern United States written between 1535 and 1555. The description appears to be based on a now-lost map by Alonso de Chaves, a relative of Geronimo de Chaves. Both were cosmographers at the Casa de Contratación in Seville. Between the "Mar Pequeña" (Bahía del Espíritu Santo) and the "Rio de las Palmas" are eight place-names (east to west): "C. de Cruz," "C. Desierto," "Montañas," "Rio del Oro," "Rio de Pescadores," "Costa Bara," "Rio Escondido," "Medanos della Magdelana." This is the first printed map to show a second Bahía del Espíritu Santo on the west coast of Florida (see Delanglez, Espíritu Santo, pp. 6-7).Language NoteLatinSubjectCaribbean Area--MapsCoasts--Mexico, Gulf of--MapsFlorida--MapsMexico, Gulf of--MapsShips in artSouth America--MapsCopyright StatementNo Copyright – Non-Commercial Use OnlySize33x47 centimeters. CartographerGeronimo de Chaves
